Texas teacher sidelined after dressing in drag

A male chemistry teacher in Texas was placed on leave for dressing as a female, prompting the state governor to double down on the importance of school choice.Libs of TikTok posted photographs and a video clip of Hebron High School teacher Rachmad Tjachyadi on Twitter ("X") on the job in Carrollton, Texas. Here, he wore dresses, a costume of Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and a tutu.Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said the teacher's conduct was one more example why parents needed the ability to send their children to the school of their choice..Principal Amy Boughton addressed the situation in a statement to "Hebron families.""You may have seen a video circulating on social media expressing concerns with the way a staff member was dressed at school yesterday," she wrote."We are aware of the video and the staff member has been placed on administrative leave while the district reviews the situation, which is standard procedure. It would be natural for our families to have questions about this situation, but because this is a personnel matter currently under review, there is no additional information the district can share.”Tjachyadi's attire at a prom event seemed to run contrary to the high school's dress code, at least for the students, as shown by a document posted to Twitter ("X")."We hope that students keep in mind the integrity and formality of this special occasion when choosing appropriate attire. There are a multitude of beautiful, tasteful, and appropriate...attire available," the code explained."Expected attire for the gentlemen is a dress shirt & tie, suit and tie or tuxedo."The Christian Post compiled several examples from the teacher’s social media history to prove his activism. He was part of the Forward Slash Project, a so-called “queer archive” for “knowledge disruption that opens pedagogical space for queerness as an ideality that can be used to re/imagine and re/think futurity.”He has a biography on the project’s website (which has since been made private) that states his intentions to “utilize dress-up days at his schools to show off his feminine side in the education settings,” with his “goal as an educator” being “not only to educate the students in science but also to be an out role model in a professional setting.”This included an active role in the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). In 2022 he put out a call out for “someone who can teach my GSA Baby Gays how to VOGUE properly!! The GSA kiddos want to present voguing during a cultural festival at our school in a few weeks.” According to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, "voguing" means “to strike poses in campy imitation of fashion models especially as a kind of dance." Despite the hit song and Madonna video of more than 30 years ago, a 2017 Vox video claimed the sexual minority "created" the expression.As LifeSite News has noted, the indoctrination of children with leftist ideas on sexuality and other issues has long been a major concern in American public schools, from libraries to athletic and restroom policy to drag events to classroom materials to even “transitioning” troubled children without parental input. The American Library Association, currently helmed by a self-described “Marxist lesbian,” opposes denying children access to age-inappropriate materials.Drag has emerged as one of sexual minority activists’ favoured tools for exposing and acclimating children to the concepts of gender fluidity and sexual experimentation. This includes “family-friendly” drag shows at schools and community events or Drag Queen Story Hour, often held at public libraries.A parent backlash against such initiatives has helped foster Republican gains in Florida and Virginia, whose governors have publicly opposed the trend. .Last year, Oakville, Ontario teacher Kayla Lemieux, a trans who wore large prosthetic breasts, also drew public attention.Amid public criticism, the Halton District School Board (HDSB) initially said that it would be a “liability” to impose a dress code but later asked staff to draft a “professionalism policy" that included a dress code.Education Minister Stephen Lecce also asked the Ontario College of Teachers to review professional conduct provisions to ensure “the highest stands of professionalism in front of our kids.”By the time the standards were announced in March of 2023, a spokesperson for the HDSB told CTV Lemieux was no longer actively teaching, but remained employed by the board.